Author Archives: 0alloldusers

SUV’s Vs Car Crashes

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Roger Balch
Brenda Grell
Digital Technology and Culture
November 7, 2016
SUV’s are large vehicles that when they get into accidents it poses a large threat towards other vehicle passenger safety. According to ohiotiger.com, “The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found in 2013 that a total of 21/268 passenger vehicle occupants died in 2013, 30% fewer than in 1975… with the likelihood of SUV accidents 15 times as high.” SUV’s have become popular so in contrast accident numbers have increased significantly. Popularity has been shown studies that according to the Insurance Institute for highway safety, “8% of all vehicle fatalities happens to passengers in the back seat. So, large cars are safer for all passengers, but especially those in the back seat.” Something has to be said for those purchasing a car. To purchase a vehicle for larger stability a and safety or for people trying to save money to go for the cheapest option possible and select a car with little to nothing for safety options just to save money. Reports show the higher center of gravity make them prone to rollovers in which case cause higher fatalities than any other type of accident. Most of the 6800 occupants in 2010 who died of rollovers did not happen to wear seatbelts. For most accidents are caused by some third object whether its driving angry, driving under the influence, or just as the reason mentioned not wearing seatbelts. According to consumerreports.org, “In car vs SUV head-on crashes, the study found that the odds of death were 7.6 times higher for the car driver than the SUV driver… Just because a big, heavy vehicle has the advantage in a head on [collision] with a smaller lighter one, it doesn’t mean that lighter vehicles are unsafe. In truth, they’re safer than overall traffic fatalities are near their all time low.” Overall the important thing to look at is type and demographics of vehicles whatever is the most comfortable option that meets the needs of the driver. The 2 sources of media I plan to use is a narrative piece video along with a graphic narrative.

Study: SUVs Safer Than Cars, Front Seat Most Dangerous Place to Sit http://www.ohiotiger.com/suvs-vs-cars-crash-survival/

Reduced vehicle weight does not compromise safety. http://ow.ly/ZFhr302n0Qw @ACCESS_Magazine

SUVs are safer than cars in front crashes, but there is more to the story http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/05/suvs-are-safer-than-cars-in-front-crashes-but-there-is-more-to-the-story/index.htm

Which Type of Vehicle is Safest: SUVs or Sedans? – Quoted https://www.thezebra.com/insurance-news/1704/which-type-of-vehicle-is-safest-suvs-or-sedans/

Plurality: When hearing voices in your head DOESN’T make you crazy

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For my capstone project, I’ll be discussing the recent, little known phenomenon of plurality: a movement embracing and supporting those who “hear voices in their head” not as “crazy,” but as an alternate life situation just like gender or sexuality. Plurality argues that those “voices” are not by their nature inherently dangerous, that they may actually be benevolent, and that it may even be argued that they are people with rights of their own. Many plurals report that their “voices” serve as an ever-present support network and have improved their lives. While there are situations (such as schizophrenia) when medication is necessary, other time attempts at suppression or reintegration can be seriously damaging to the person as the “voices” attempt to fight for survival or the person feels guilt at being forced by therapists to effectively murder their friends. Many plurals are afraid to tell others about their plurality for fear of being called a liar, freak, or crazy, and others cannot get the psychological treatment they need as their therapists ignore all other conditions and attempt to go after the plurality.

For my two media objects, one will be an infographic discussing facts and statistics surrounding plurality, the other will be an animated video explaining terminology and situations surrounding plurality. The infographic will be focused the more factual side of the issue, while the video will emphasize the emotional side, as well as encouraging understanding of plurals, their “headmates”, and their situations.

Benefits of Being an Entrepreneur

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Benefits of being an Entrepreneur
According to the Oxford dictionary an entrepreneur is “a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so”. With this definition people might ask themselves why would someone want to be an entrepreneur? Why risk more financials than a normal person? Well I hope to outline 5 good benefits of being an entrepreneur.
1) Opportunity
With being an entrepreneur individuals have the opportunity to decide what their work is. A decision of what you work on rather than just being told what to work on can really help motivation and the spirit of what you do.
2) Freedom
This one stays in the same vein of Opportunity. Perhaps Aaron Pitman, president and founder of API Domain Investments says it best when he states “Freedom is my driver…I always wanted to be able to call my own shots, be in charge of my destiny, and have the ability to set my own life.”
3) Responsibility to Society
Entrepreneurs have the opportunity to constantly watch the world around them on a large and small scale and acknowledge how themselves/their companies fit into it. They have the responsibility to enact change to help form that world they see into one they envision.
4) Control
There is something to be said about control of their work area and environment to be a driving force behind why many entrepreneurs follow their dreams. People can design out their work space and environment however they like.
5) Time
In the beginning most Entrepreneurs will trade their 40hrs/week for 60, but some can get themselves to a spot where they are only working 10 and still making the company run. This frees up time to allow the owner to invest in other things such as hobbies and family.

I would like to portray my capstone project through an infographic and a moving infographic. I think these are the two best ways in which to showcase the benefits listed above about being an entrepreneur.

Baily Anderson’s Capstone Project

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For my capstone project, I have decided to educate my audience on the issue of plastic waste build up in our oceans. Because of people’s massive consumption of plastic materials, a threat has been posed to the natural wildlife population and, in return, ourselves.  I feel this is a very relevant topic that many of us should be concerned about and I feel very passionate about how we affect the environment around us.

To illustrate my information, I would like to create an infographic combined with animation. Working previously with Adobe Illustrator and Adobe After Effects, I have decided to use these tools to create this project. I feel these two tools work very well together and make it easy to correlate between files. By producing most of my graphics in Illustrator, I can import these files into After Effects to animate. I feel this would compliment my website satisfactorily since I feel that these are where my strengths or “superpowers” lie.

I’m still a little unsure as to how I will narrow down my subject. I could discuss how plastic materials are damaging our ecosystem, but I also feel it is important to explain how everyone can help to make it better. I have pondered the thought of having a host, such as a seal or a fish, to help narrate the subject. My intent to lighten the seriousness of the topic is to try and focus on the positive. By providing solutions to this serious topic, we can begin to hope for a brighter future for the generations yet to come.

Binge Viewing

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For my Capstone project I will be focusing my efforts on how binge viewing is changing television and entertainment. Binge viewing is a recent phenomenon that has emerged thanks to increased high speed internet access and services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and even YouTube. Binge viewing is often classified as watching at least 2 episodes of the same show back to back, but this number is normally much higher. It can sometimes be defined as watching multiple series back to back, especially when it comes to media that is much shorter than a traditional television show such as on YouTube. Since binge viewing has become the popular and even preferred option, the television industry has been in a period of massive adaptation to keep up with changing interests and demands. Everything from the type of shows being produced, to the way the shows are written, and the numbers of episodes per season, are being revamped in order to appeal to a new audience of viewers. Have you ever wondered how or why streaming services continuously create and develop shows that are instant hits?

In order to convey all of this information, I am going to create a series of infographics highlighting the changes, and growing pains, that this industry is currently experiencing. I think a small series will help highlight the different changes that are happening that do not necessarily relate to each other, as well as separate the different services and what they are specifically doing themselves. For my second choice, I am going to create a video remix that captures the different feelings we get through the act of binge viewing.

Bike Safety…Word!

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I have chosen to address bicycle safety for this semester’s capstone project. I plan to create an infograph detailing the more salient statistical information regarding bicycle fatalities and the simple but effective ways to prevent them. Using simple visual aids, I will discuss some of the key information regarding bike accidents in America through the recent years, and things we all can do to keep safer. Along with this graphic, I will create a remixed video touching on the benefits of biking as well as the most important aspects of bike safety—how they are accessible and crucial to all riders.

Bicycling has long been a popular means of transportation, recreation, and exercise; its popularity is consistently growing. Recently, Portland has joined many other cities across America, and the world, in introducing bike-share programs to reduce the number of cars on the road and to give people who enjoy biking a convenient and inexpensive way to do so. Bike share programs are great: they increase the proportion of cyclists to cars in dense, urban areas, as well as foster interest in cycling more generally. But that introduces a paradox.

The more enthusiasm people experience about cycling, the more bikes there tend to be on the road—especially in the city. That means more cyclists sharing the road with cars in heavily populated areas during all hours of the day and night, which can lead to an increase in motorist-versus-cyclist accidents.

Each year, hundreds of bikers are killed in collisions involving automobiles, mostly on urban roads. But there are steps we can take which drastically reduce the chances of a fatal crash. Simply wearing a helmet is the single most protective measure. The overwhelming majority of deaths occur when cyclists do not wear them. Many of these deaths are adults, who often feel that, because they are not children, they need not wear protective gear. Bike lighting is another important thing to consider; a majority of fatalities occur in the evening and night. And just being aware of one’s surroundings is crucial. While it may sound like common sense to warn against distracted riding, the fact that so many bikers are killed in urban areas attests to the need to be aware at all times. Cities are busy places, and bikers need to be just as vigilant as drivers, if not more so.

Bike safety is not a particularly popular area of discussion, though biking itself is on the rise. Because of this, more and more accidents are going to happen. But they are preventable accidents, so long as we are educated in bike safety.

 

How to deal with overly opinionated and difficult people?

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Recently I have been struggling with social problems. I gave up on watching the news because it was so depressing it was affecting my mental health. I know that news issues are important, but sometimes I feel I don’t know the right answer to the solutions. I can’t even talk to anyone about social issues in public because everyone has an opinion. I try and keep my opinions to myself when I have one. It’s a real struggle with social media because people force their opinions on me a lot. If I give away that I have a different opinion, I lose a possible friendship with someone who shares the opposite opinion. With such complicated issues in the news going all the time, why should I be forced to chose what I think is right and admit it publicly? I love movies, but 2 of my friends are film critics for VICE and The Sunset Gun in Hollywood. Try talking to them about what your favorite movie is. They won’t let you have your opinion until it is changed to theirs. I heard one waitress say something that stuck with me. She said, “Never talk about religion, politics, or opinions about entertainment in any bar. You’re just trying to start a fight.” Has America got so uptight that we can’t speak, move, or breathe? I like to design and make animations in school, but it’s tough to speak my mind and then have all the students (who I will be working with for the next 2 years) decide to hate me. This is going to be a challenge for me, but I am going to make an animated infographic from scratch and a video mix, or mash up about difficult people and opinionated people and how to deal with them in a sensible way so that I can learn how to deal with them in a difficult situation.

Ryanne Pitts’ Proposal

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It seems that our country is continually facing the issues and termoil between races. Among most recent events involving police brutality, our countries historical civil rights movements, and hundred of years of slavery, the feud between blacks and whites is by far the most prominent of problems. Where does all this hatred come from? We surely are not born with this perceptions and biases. They are formed by the ones who raise us, our peers, society, and the constant images and messages we are fed that fuel the rise of inequality. The recent BlackLivesMatter movement demonstrates how a group of people must stand up to the tensions and injustice in order to see change, especially in a country that is predominantly white. This movement is not to say that other lives do not matter, for America has shown which lives matter most. It is simply to make note that African American lives matter as well, and history shows that this has not been exhibited in our society. As a white woman myself, who is a mother of two bi-racial young boys, I have seen how treatment differs between the two races. I hope that my project will showcase a solution geared towards unity, compassion, and a future that embraces ethnicity, rather than it determine your position in society.

I plan to create an infographic, along with a remix that will encompass the current statistics of violence and inequalities among blacks and whites, and possible solutions. Positive imagery is very powerful, and negative ones are not always the best way to approach such a sensitive subject. However, it cannot go unnoticed.
I hope the information I present will resonate with our class.

Erin McBride’s Capstone Project

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I have chosen to use my Capstone Project to showcase the current issue of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Because this issue is ongoing, my approach to this subject will be broad. In my project, I will explain what the Dakota Access Pipeline is, for those who are unaware of the dire situation in Standing Rock. Within my two media pieces, I would like to examine all stakeholders in the project. The companies, Energy Transfer Partners and Enbridge Energy, who have been given the contract to build the pipeline and Sunoco, the future operators of the pipeline. These companies have dreadful track records with Sonoco to blame for more than 200 oil spills since 2010 and Enbridge responsible for the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill, one of the most expensive in U.S. history. I will also address the involvement of the Dakota Sioux and other 250 Native American Tribes acting as protectors for the land and the Missouri River. If I have time and space I will also mention the Army Corps of Engineers, The Red Owl Legal Collective, local land owners, the Iowa Utilities Board, and Dakota Access LLC.

While my attention has previously been captured by the atrocities committed against the indigenous people, this project will focus on factual data and I will do my best to come from a place of logic rather than emotion. In this way, I hope that my message is received as factual and without bias.

My two media objects will be an infographic and remixed video, which I will donate to the Standing Rock Sioux under the hashtag #noDAPL. My infographic will contain stakeholder information and possibly a sort of timeline to show involvement and actions taken by these stakeholders. This is related to my remixed video, as I elaborate upon who is involved, why they are involved, and what their roles are. My website will showcase these two media objects as well as links to online petitions, and contact methods for all stakeholders so that people may approach these companies, groups, and people with questions and reactions after viewing my related media.

https://twitter.com/360_4839/status/794349825026207745
https://twitter.com/360_4839/status/794352267612733440
https://twitter.com/360_4839/status/794353149070884864
https://twitter.com/360_4839/status/794359758832603136
https://twitter.com/360_4839/status/794354063341023232